NORTHAM HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST ON FRIDAY IN BID TO EXPAND VIRGINIA EXPORTS

As part of a bid to expand international trade in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam will travel to the Middle East on a six-day tour that kicks off Friday. Expanding exports is a top priority for the Northam administration, which announced Wednesday a plan to grow trade output by 50 percent over the next 15 years.

NORTHAM ANNOUNCES PLAN TO BOOST VIRGINIA’S TRADE EXPORTS BY 50% IN 15 YEARS

Citing the ongoing trade war and saying states must take international trade into their own hands, Gov. Ralph Northam announced a plan to take Virginia from being 41st in the country for exports to the top 20 in 15 years. He told a crowd gathered for the Virginia Conference on World Trade in downtown Norfolk on Nov. 13 that the effort could create 150,000 trade-related jobs.

NORTHAM: MAJOR CHANGES COMING WITH DEMOCRATS RISE TO POWER

Governor Ralph Northam says to expect major changes to how Virginia does business with Democrats coming to power. On Thursday, Northam was in Albemarle County as he rolled through a list of priorities on his agenda for the upcoming General Assembly session. With Democrats in control of the statehouse this January, Northam says his main focus is gun violence. He says expect legislation to allow localities to ban firearms from public buildings and events.

INCOMING VA. HOUSE SPEAKER MAKES TOP COMMITTEE PICKS

The incoming speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates on Thursday announced her picks to lead four key legislative committees, with choices that reflect the racial, gender and geographic diversity of the Democratic caucus that will take control of the chamber in January.

DEL. LUKE TORIAN FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO LEAD HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

Del. Luke Torian has been chosen to lead one of the Virginia House of Delegates’ most powerful committees: that which helps hammer out the annual state budget. Torian, D-52nd, will chair the House Appropriations Committee, Speaker-Elect Eileen Filler-Corn, D-41st, announced Thursday.

THREE MEMBERS OF VA. BLACK CAUCUS NAMED AS NEW HOUSE COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Three members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus were named as House committee chairs for next year. House Speaker-designee Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, announced in a news release Thursday that she’s naming Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, as chair of the Appropriations Committee; Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, as chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee; and Del. Roslyn Tyler, D-Sussex, as chair of the Education Committee.

DIFFERENT SIDES HAVE DIFFERENT TAKES ON POSSIBLE REPEAL OF VIRGINIA’S RIGHT-TO-WORK LAW

The future of Virginia’s “right-to-work” law is uncertain after the Nov. 5 election in which Democrats took control of both the state Senate and House of Delegates. The statute adopted in 1947 prohibits companies and labor unions from signing a contract requiring workers to pay dues. It’s not as if a repeal would bar employees from working, said Jonathan Williams, communications director for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400.

NEW DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY COULD WORK TO GIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MORE AUTHORITY

Local control. Every county board of supervisors and city council wants more of it. But the way Virginia works, local governments have only the powers the General Assembly gives them and nothing more. So will Democrats be more willing to give local governments authority? Delegate Danica Roem says probably yes.

CHASE AND MORRISSEY VOW TO WORK ACROSS PARTY AISLE

Chesterfield County voters elected two independent-minded legislators last week in Democrat Joe Morrissey and Republican Amanda Chase. And on Morrissey’s radio show last week on WJFN 100.5 FM, the two said they would work together in the Senate.

LAWYER’S USE OF LEGISLATIVE CONTINUANCE QUESTIONED

The Supreme Court of Virginia may question a state lawyer-legislator next month about his extended use of the state’s legislative continuance privilege. Del. Jeffrey Campbell, R-Marion, has used the legislative continuance statute to delay a Supreme Court appeal for more than a year based on an ongoing 2018 special session of the General Assembly.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKER SAYS VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER THREATENED HIM. SHE CALLS THE CLAIM “RIDICULOUS.”

A delegate from Northern Virginia says he felt threatened by a Virginia Beach school board member and has asked law enforcement to investigate. Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Fairfax, said he felt physically threatened after reporters approached him with a screenshot of a Facebook post by Victoria Manning, who’s served on the Virginia Beach School Board since 2016. 13News Now first reported on the Facebook post and investigation.

EASTERN SHORE BAR RECOMMENDS BURGE FOR JUDGESHIP

The Eastern Shore Bar Association (ESBA) voted “overwhelmingly” on Nov. 6 to recommend that the General Assembly appoint Cela J. Burge as judge of the juvenile and domestic relations (J&DR) courts in Accomack and Northampton counties, Jack Thornton, president of the local bar, confirmed Tuesday.

FREDERICK SUPERVISORS ADOPT LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

The Frederick County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday adopted eight legislative priorities to forward to the General Assembly. The top priority is reverting authority to the locality over existing tax exemptions granted by the General Assembly prior to Jan. 1, 2003. This could allow the board to revoke the tax-exempt status from places such as Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury retirement community, which was granted tax-exempt status by the legislature.

‘ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’: VIRGINIA'S TOP POLITICAL STRATEGISTS DISCUSS TRUMP’S IMPACT ON STATE ELECTIONS

Top Virginia Republican and Democratic campaign strategists discussing Virginia’s 2019 “off-off-year” election this week said “there’s no denying” the impact President Donald Trump had on the vote. Speaking at the Nov. 12 “After Virginia Votes,” organized by The Virginia Public Access Project and The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, Matt Moran, chief of staff to outgoing Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, R-66th, said Trump was the “elephant in the room” in the Nov. 5 election,

A DEMOCRATIC HOUSE DIVIDED

It appears all’s fair in love, war and presidential primaries. Former Vice President Joe Biden returned to Virginia on Wednesday and attended a fundraiser at the Alexandria home of Megan Beyer, who was executive director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities during the Obama administration. That also is the home of her husband, Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, who in April became the first member of Congress to endorse Pete Buttigieg for president.

VIRGINIA TEACHERS WON'T BE JUDGED AS HEAVILY ON STUDENT TEST SCORES UNDER NEW RULES

Virginia’s education leaders have approved an overhaul to the state’s teacher evaluation system that judges teachers less by how well students do on tests and more on factors like classroom environment. The changes, approved unanimously Thursday by the state Board of Education, are the latest in a series of reforms

VDOT SPENDS $205 MILLION ON WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS

Winter will be here before you know it, and that means snow covered roads. Before that happens, the Virginia Department of Transportation is preparing for winter roads.

MCEACHIN BACK IN CONGRESS, PLANS TO BE 'FULL TIME AND WIDE OPEN' AFTER THANKSGIVING, RUN AGAIN IN 2020

The road to recovery from multiple surgeries has been long and hard, but Rep. Don McEachin, D-4th, is back in Congress and ready to work. McEachin returned to Congress on Thursday to work on draft legislation to strengthen civil rights protection for environmental justice. His work schedule will be “intermittent” until after Congress returns from its Thanksgiving holiday recess in early December, he said in a telephone interview.

REP. ELAINE LURIA TOUTS HELP FOR VETERANS, TACKLES SHORE ISSUES AT TOWN HALL

Rep. Elaine Luria highlighted her role in helping veterans while also addressing issues of concern to the Eastern Shore during a town hall Saturday in Cape Charles.

A ‘ZOMBIE’ CHINESE DEAL FOR AN AMERICAN INSURER STAGGERS TOWARD THE UNKNOWN

It’s a marriage that has been put off a dozen times. A Chinese conglomerate’s planned $2.7 billion takeover of U.S. insurer Genworth Financial Inc. has yet to close more than three years after it was announced in October 2016, making it one of the longest engagements in recent deal history

FDA SAYS DOLLAR TREE IMPORTED DRUGS FROM FIRMS WITH “SERIOUS VIOLATIONS,” COULDN’T ASSURE DRUG QUALITY

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that Chesapeake-based Dollar Tree has been importing drugs for its Assured brand from overseas manufacturers found to have had “serious violations of federal law.” The agency also said Dollar Tree’s independent testing company couldn’t ensure the quality of drugs to be sold in the United States.

AMAZON DELIVERS A PENTAGON CITY TRANSPORTATION CONUNDRUM

Will the flood of new, Amazon-inspired development coming to Pentagon City overwhelm the area’s transportation network? Arlington planners, and nervous neighbors, want to know. A year after the tech giant’s momentous announcement that it would move into Arlington, county planners are gearing up to launch a new study of the neighborhood’s transportation options and how an influx of new Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) employees and residents might change commuting patterns.

JBG SMITH RAMPED UP ITS POLITICAL GIVING IN VIRGINIA

JBG Smith Properties has ramped up its political giving to Virginia lawmakers as it readies an aggressive expansion of its already substantial holdings....Campaign finance records show the company used the PAC to steer $30,500 to a variety of politicians, a relatively small sum relative to some of Virginia’s largest corporate givers but a substantial increase over past contributions from company executives.

MERGER INVOLVING PROGRESS-INDEX PARENT APPROVED

The two biggest newspaper chains in the country are on the verge of combining, after shareholders of both gave green lights to the $1.13 billion deal Thursday. (When the deal closes in the next several days, the Progress Index will fall under the Gannett umbrella. Gannett's other Virginia-based holdings are USA Today and The News Leader in Staunton. )

NEW STRETCH OF EXPRESS LANES SET TO OPEN

Another section of Virginia’s interstate express lanes system is set to open over the weekend. The eight miles of HOV lanes on Interstate 395—from Alexandria to the Washington line—will close Friday night for the last time as HOV lanes and reopen Sunday night as electronically tolled lanes. The change is expected to impact 100,000 drivers.

TOLLS TO INCREASE FOR DOWNTOWN AND MIDTOWN TUNNELS IN JANUARY

Tolls at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels will increase on New Year’s Day. Rates will increase by 13 cents during peak hours for E-ZPass drivers and 6 cents during the rest of the day, according to a news release from Elizabeth River Tunnels.

VDOT RECEIVES PUBLIC INPUT ON 29 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS

Chatham Town Manager Richard Cocke feels that the combination of businesses, industrial buildings and tractor trailers near the intersection of U.S. 29 and Toy Lane needs attention. “That’s a bottleneck right there at times,” he said. Cocke provided his input at Thursday’s informational meeting regarding plans by the Virginia Department of Transportation to strategically improve the safety, efficiency and economic development potential along a 50-mile corridor stretching from Danville to Lynchburg.

VCU PILOTS NEW WI-FI TRACKING PROGRAM FOR CLASS ATTENDANCE

This month, VCU is piloting Ram Attend, a program that tracks student Wi-Fi connections to automate class attendance. Through the program, when students connect their devices to the VCU Safenet Wireless network, a Wi-Fi access point is automatically recorded, which is then compared to class times and locations to specify attendance.

VIRGINIA TECH TO EXPAND D.C. REACH; WILL TEAM WITH CHILDREN'S NATIONAL HOSPITAL

Virginia Tech will launch a biomedical facility with Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., to focus on researching pediatric brain cancer.

IN VIRGINIA, HEALTHY SHORELINES AND COASTAL ECONOMIES RELY ON STATE PROGRAM

Although Virginia has only 132 miles of ocean coastline, the figure jumps to 7,345 miles when the commonwealth’s tidal shoreline—along its inlets, estuaries, and share of the Chesapeake Bay—also is counted. This gives Virginia one of the longest coasts of any state. Shorelines shape and support the communities they border. Recreation, tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, and other coastal-dependent businesses are critical to these areas’ economies. In addition, healthy coastal habitats mitigate damage to communities from storms, flooding, and sea level rise, and improve water quality.

AREA SCHOOL OFFICIALS SHARE CONCERNS WITH LAWMAKERS

dministrators from four area school divisions and representatives of state and national lawmakers gathered at Triplett Tech on Wednesday to discuss four issues of importance to the schools. Schools represented at the “Take Your Legislator to School” event included Harrisonburg City, and Page, Rockingham, and Shenandoah counties. Lawmakers or their representatives at the meeting included Del. Tony Wilt, R-Harrisonburg; Del. Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave; Kelly Johnston, representing U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia; Jennifer Aulgur, representing Virginia Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg; Jeff Walters, representing Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock; and Emilee Loope, representing U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Virginia, 6th District.

CITY CONSIDERS CLOSING NORTHERN VIRGINIA JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER

The Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, a 70-bed youth correctional facility located near Landmark Mall, could potentially close. The center serves the City of Alexandria, Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. The three jurisdictions are funding a study to look into changes that could make the center more efficient

COUNTY NIXES GUILTY PLEA REQUIREMENT FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DOCKET AFTER COMMUNITY CONCERN

County officials have stripped a requirement that defendants plead guilty before becoming eligible for a jail diversion program for those with mental illnesses. Staffers note they made “significant changes” to a newly-released draft document for the proposed program after activists and local officials expressed concern over the guilty plea requirement, among other aspects to the program.

ELECTION LEAVES ICE AGREEMENT IN QUESTION

Democrats elected to Prince William’s Board of Supervisors say they will review the county’s decade-long partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, setting the stage for a potential conflict with Sheriff Glen Hill, a Republican and staunch supporter of the agreement who was re-elected to a fifth term last week.

CITY WANTS NO MORE BOND VOTES

An amendment to the city’s charter that would eliminate the need for bond referendums is being seen by proponents as taking a new step toward the long-awaited fire-station replacement, and by opponents as taking away voters’ voices on how capital dollars should be spent. By a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, council will ask the 2020 Virginia General Assembly to amend the Hopewell charter

HAMPTON ROADS SANITATION DISTRICT WANTS LAND IN NEWPORT NEWS’ RIVERVIEW FARM PARK

At its Nansemond treatment plant in Suffolk, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District pumps a million gallons of clean water each day into the massive Potomac aquifer. That’s really just a drop in the bucket — the region draws more than 100 times that amount from the aquifer each day, and the aquifer contains hundreds of trillions of gallons.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS IN NORFOLK NOW HAVE ONE PLACE TO GO FOR HELP

Tequila Morris’ boyfriend kicked her in the face so hard a few years ago, the area around her eye swelled to the size of a tennis ball. In another attack, he hit her with a 10-speed bicycle, the pedal gouging a hole in her leg. Morris, 40, wanted to leave and sought help to do so. She went to the hospital and waited for two hours before she got fed up and left.

PORTSMOUTH’S NEW TREASURER IS COLLECTING MORE TAX DEBTS BY GOING AFTER BIGGER FISH

In his quest to collect old debts for this cash-strapped city, Portsmouth’s first new treasurer in two decades has been going after deeper pockets. A two-term councilman who was elected to the job in 2017, Paige Cherry drew more than $4.5 million through liens issued against people who were late on tax payments to the city in 2018 — a 32% jump from what his predecessor collected

SALACIOUS FACEBOOK POSTS ABOUT A FORMER VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE LEAD TO DEFAMATION LAWSUIT

In the weeks leading up to last year’s election, Dee Oliver appeared to have a good shot at winning one of Virginia Beach’s at-large City Council seats. Already a member of the city’s Planning Commission, she’d amassed almost $200,000 in campaign donations, far exceeding that of her opponents.

COUNCIL MEMBERS ASK MAYOR TO RESIGN

A Tuesday night Town Council meeting, which attracted more than 75 people, started with talk of a dual protest: those who want Mayor Richard Orndroff Jr. to step down and those who support the work he's doing in spite of three legal battles he's been fighting this fall.

SCHOOL BOARD OKS ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL PLAN THAT DELAYS ATHLETIC FACILITIES

An alternative construction plan for the new high school that would delay building most athletics facilities won approval from the Harrisonburg School Board in a meeting on Thursday evening. This ‘plan B’ of sorts, drafted after city officials expressed concern about the $87.2 million maximum cost of the project in a liaison meeting last Friday, would push back construction on a new stadium, auxiliary gym, tennis courts, practice fields, and baseball and softball fields in order to save about $7.2 million off the high school’s initial price tag.

SNOW CASES MOVED TO FEDERAL COURT

Federal charges of identity theft and conspiracy to commit identity theft were filed last week against the recently re-elected Greene County Commissioner of Revenue and his son. The charges were handed down in an Oct. 23 sealed indictment. They were unsealed last week, which led Orange County prosecutors to suspend more than a dozen similar charges filed in state courts last Friday.

PROSECUTOR ASKS TO DROP CHARGE IN HAYFIELD CASE

The Greene County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to drop the felony theft cases against two Stanardsville men for allegedly harvesting hay on vacant county property for personal gain. Monroe District Supervisor David Cox and Richard Eppard were indicted in May by a special grand jury, empanelled by Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Hardin in early 2019.

COUNCIL PREPARING IF E-SCOOTERS LAND IN LYNCHBURG

More electric scooters could be coming to Lynchburg, and city council is rushing to prepare for their arrival. Bird Scooters, a company that places electric scooters around the world, reached out to Lynchburg in September to meet with city officials, said Walter Erwin, city attorney.

MARTINSVILLE CITY COUNCIL'S PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING ON REVERSION SET FOR NEXT WEEK

Martinsville City Council finally is addressing the topic of reversion publicly. At its meeting on Tuesday council members outlined plans for their public meeting to discuss reversion that is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday.

PRAYER PLAQUE REMOVED FROM FCHS

A group dedicated to keeping religion and government separate has succeeded in having a second plaque imprinted with a prayer removed from a Wythe County school. Wythe County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Jefferies said the plaque was removed earlier this week from the cafeteria at Fort Chiswell High School after the school system received a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation

CRIME COMMISSION DISAPPOINTS VIRGINIA

Three months ago, Sen. Mark Obenshain was confident the Virginia State Crime Commission would take a more sober approach to addressing gun violence and mass killings than lawmakers could ever attempt. “We’re going to look at that from a data-driven standpoint,” the Harrisonburg Republican told the Roanoke Times. “I am confident that we will emerge with real policy proposals that are going to make Virginia a safer place.” His confidence was, apparently, misplaced.

IS NORTHAM STILL FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM?

For anyone shopping for a candidate, Virginia’s General Assembly elections are a political bazaar. State legislature elections like the one just concluded don’t have a lot of rules when it comes to campaign financing. For congressional elections, the Federal Election Commission limits individual contributions to $2,800 per candidate per election, and up to $5,000 a year from PACs that have more than 50 donors and contribute to at least five federal candidates.

SCOOTER GAINS, BUS LOSSES: A NEW PARADIGM?

We couldn’t help but notice the irony of two stories coming out of Charlottesville. The new director of Charlottesville Area Transit said he is trying to keep the bus system out of a “death spiral.” Scarcely a week later, Charlottesville announced that it was accepting a new e-scooter/e-bike business into the city, VeoRide.

CENSORSHIP BY THEFT ON RADFORD UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS

Radford University, a taxpayer-supported institution in southwestern Virginia, is in a public relations hole entirely of its own making. The question is how deep its administrators will insist on digging.

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE BY IMPROVING BROADBAND ACCESS

Nearly 60 million people—roughly one out of every five Americans—live in a rural area. These individuals face much higher barriers to health care than those in metropolitan areas. In addition to distance and transportation issues, they face health care workforce shortages limiting care as well as privacy issues unique to rural America, causing those who need care the most to not seek it out.

Rep. Rob Wittman represents Virginia's First Congressional District

STIMPERT AND LINDGREN: INVESTING IN GREATER ACCESS FOR VIRGINIA’S STUDENTS

On Saturday, Nov. 16, Hampden-Sydney College and Randolph-Macon College will kick off the 124th meeting of our football teams in Ashland. The game is commonly known as “the oldest football rivalry in the South.” And what a rivalry it is. More than 10,000 fans will likely converge when the two teams meet on R-MC’s Day Field, as the intensity of the athletic competition between Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon is second-to-none among small colleges in America.

Larry Stimpert is president of Hampden-Sydney College. Robert Lindgren is president of Randolph-Macon College.

COW-TROVERSY COMES TO SCHOOL BOARD

During the public comment period at Monday night’s Floyd County School Board meeting, advocates on both sides of an issue that has recently divided Floyd County addressed the board. Caroline Lefebvre was joined by her 10-year-old daughter at the podium to protest a young calf being kept in an outdoor pen at Floyd County High School, arguing that it wasn’t consistent with character education that teaches respect, empathy and compassion.